GELE vs Pixels

T

Tallahassee Dreamer

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I am getting ready to invest some serious moula in pixels and I have read a lot on this forum about ge color effects and what seems to be very reasonable prices and abilitities, with that being said would it be advantageous to pick some of these up,and utilize them even if I have to bridge some together to get the length I need or just go ahead and buy Rays 2801 pixel strings. Let me give you my basic plan, 1 20' mega tree with 32 strings of 2801 pixels spaced 4" apart 85 pixels per string. I want to be able to stream text and graphics is why such close spacing. Is this to spacing to close or could I save money and still get the same effect with further spacing. Although money is a factor I am willing to pay more and do the job right as opposed to just getting by. For those who have been there before please help guide me here. 2 to three grand is not out of the question but if I could do it for 2 than why spend 3? Can GECE be run on E681 controller?
 
GECE can run on the E681 controller. The spacing on the GECE lights I have is about 9-10 inches so I dont think that spacing would wotk for text. Sounds like the 2801 would work better for that.
 
The reason i would see you getting the GE lights is because you like the covers on them otherwise i cant see why someone would choose them due to their poor dimming quality as they are only 4 bit. The 2801 would be a good choice.
I would also consider using these type as well as they dont suffer the common possible water ingress issues of the standard types and are also easier to align
http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/701799/209889132-521371851/RGB-full-LED-pixel-module-WS-2801-IC-DC5V-input-50pcs-a-string.html
 
Ok, thanks for the input, does any one see a problem with adding onto these strings I need a total of 9 meters and these are only 5. I understand that I would have to waterproof my solder joints perhaps by using some clear 5200 marine silicone. Will this be to long of a span to keep proper power requirements by the time it gets distributed or would I loose to much voltage or should I look to 12v? Also does anyone know the spacing on these.





ɟɐsʇǝppʎ said:
The reason i would see you getting the GE lights is because you like the covers on them otherwise i cant see why someone would choose them due to their poor dimming quality as they are only 4 bit. The 2801 would be a good choice.
I would also consider using these type as well as they dont suffer the common possible water ingress issues of the standard types and are also easier to align
http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/701799/209889132-521371851/RGB-full-LED-pixel-module-WS-2801-IC-DC5V-input-50pcs-a-string.html
Click to expand...
 
Spacing of those pixels is usually 100mm as I just bought 15 strings. However it's good to always check with ray in chat first and let him know it's important they are a certain length.
 
The GE string is supported by the E681 and word is that the PIXAD8 and the PR12 will also support these soon.

The spacing is really determined by the distance away the feature is being viewed, so this will vary so you may need to experiment here or act on the side of caution and use something that has a close spacing.

Bridging these together i would think shouldnt be an issue, you may have to inject power between them but i am unsure as the GE strings are not sold in Australia so me and many others have no practical experience with them.
There are some great threads over at DIYC that discuss the GE strings which may help you answer your questions in more detail.

But as i mentioned before the main advantage to the GE strings over the Ray Wu strings is that they have a very nice diffuser cover over them and have a decent level of IP protection, otherwise they are very limited in their dimming capabilaties and colour range.
 
Tallahassee Dreamer said:
Ok, thanks for the input, does any one see a problem with adding onto these strings I need a total of 9 meters and these are only 5. I understand that I would have to waterproof my solder joints perhaps by using some clear 5200 marine silicone. Will this be to long of a span to keep proper power requirements by the time it gets distributed or would I loose to much voltage or should I look to 12v? Also does anyone know the spacing on these.
Click to expand...


Hi, TD


There is no issue joining 2801 strings together to form longer strings, the current logical limit data wise is 170 pixels so 85 is no issue.


However your question on 5v power is a good one. I personally use 112 count pixel strings on my megatree but inject power at each end to combat voltage loss on the cable, all my strings are approx 4" spacing.
Testing has shown that feeding that string from one end i get about 70 pixels before voltage loss is an issue so I would say that 85 pixels will require some careful consideration on power feed. Ultimately the only way is to make a 85 count string in the chosen pixels and actually test.


Some maths, all for white... 85 x 60mA = 5.1A of current draw. This total current will define the wire size needed from you power supply to the pixel string.
I know it's becoming popular to power the pixels from the controller but i think in this case it's not a great option.
One way to do this is to power sort of in the middle like this.
TreeTop - 50 pixels - power injection - 35 pixels - treeBottom - Data Cable to controller.


My personal view on 12v intelligent pixels is they still require the same current but at a higher voltage so all the same wire size requirements stay the same, whilst the strings dissipate more power in heat. The advantage is that the string has a higher start voltage so can stand a higher level of voltage drop over the full length. This may be for you the deciding factor of course.


Now re string lengths, you can order the strings in any length from Ray, usually at not extra cost, so just order then as 85 count strings.


Now actual spacing can be a little bit hit/miss, I ordered in 28 strings of the ones Eddy linked and asked specifically for 100mm (4") spacing between LED's, 22 strings came in with 100mm wire between LED's giving around 108mm between LED centres, the other 6 had 130mm wire. To Ray's full credit he has accepted that was incorrect and is replacing the 6 sets with correctly spaced pixels.
Ultimately spacing can be anything you request as the factories appear to be happy just to make them on demand to the order.


Cheers
Phil
 
Not playing favorites but (okay. I am) when it comes to pixels this sight rocks. I really appreciate the time each person takes to offer sound advice. I have gained a wealth of info here and feel like i can handle something that scared the bejesus out of me just a few weeks ago. I am looking so forward to Christmas. Perhaps I should do a dry run in July. maybe we will have Vixen 3 by then.
 
Lst year I had Ray make up the 2801 strings as 100 pixels in length 50 up 50 down so I didn't have to mess with the joining of them I ran 16 of these strings with a spacing of about 5-6 inches, dont think I would have had much success with running words on the though so I am adding another 8 strings of 100 this to try running the words.


I did however have to run power from both ends and the middle to get them all perfect white due to the voltage drop issues



You are going to need to keep the strings pretty tight to get the words to look good and you will need to attach them to something that can take the strain, I have heard of people using parachute cord, I used poly strapping and zip tied the pixels to it, what ever you use start early as it is a "fun" exercise.
 
so beacy how did the strapping work for ya. that is what i was looking at doing. my other option was strapping them to pvc pipe but boy what a job lol.

ge are nice but for me spacing is a killer. i only held on to mine for now is just in case i cant get pixels to do my 30ft archs. but if money comes in, i will be replacing with pixels that are about 4in spacing. ill prob still use gece on evergreens as they are long enough to go around without putting me in the poor house lol.
 
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